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♪ (intro music) ♪

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Enrichment and training programs

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are ingrained in the work
that we do every day.

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They're not extras,
they're not if we have time,

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they are the baseline for animal care,
here at the Academy.

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We have 38,000 animals under our care,

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everything from leafcutter ants
to American alligator, to sharks.

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That looks different
for everyone.

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You're not going to have the same program
for an octopus than a leafcutter ant.

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But we do take
all of their needs and conditions

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that need to be met for them
to really thrive into consideration.

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So, everything from naturalistic exhibits
and mixed-species exhibits

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to formal training programs,

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where we're focusing
on specific behaviors,

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is to provide a lot of choices
within the environments

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for the animals to choose from
on a daily basis.

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Each one has its personality.

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In fact, that's one of the easiest ways
we can distinguish between who's who.

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Some of them are a little more shy,
Some will come up to you right away.

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Some will hang out
with you the whole time.

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Getting in with them is
probably the highlight of my week.

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The minute we get in,
we're just surrounded by them,

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whether they want
a little scratch on the nose

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or to be kind of pet on the head.

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They like that interaction,
even when there's no treat.

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We not only take care of the rays,
we monitor their diets.

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We'll put different objects
in their habitat

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just to keep things different.

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In the wild, their habitat would be
constantly changing,

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and that keeps their mind moving,
active and curious.

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♪ (music) ♪

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Every morning, we do enrichment
during the feeding programs.

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For the scale training,
they're stepping up onto the scale.

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We can see
if their weight is fluctuating.

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For they can't talk to us,
we don't know if they're not feeling well,

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if they're getting sick,
so weight decreases and eating less food

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is really important for us
to talk to our vet

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and see what he thinks might be going on.

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Enrichment can be anything

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from putting logs and rocks
in the exhibit, or nesting material.

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I'll hand it out
and they'll grab it with their beak

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and then bring it back to their nest.

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We want to have changes in there,
something new in their environment

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or that stimulates their brain
in a certain way.

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The enrichment's definitely important
for our personal relationship,

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so they can trust me more,
I can trust them a little bit more.

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They know that I'm not trying
to hurt them.

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♪ (music) ♪

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Training is really building a language
between you and an animal.

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We can't ask them questions,

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so we have to find a way
to communicate with each other

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to identify what we want from them
and what they want and need from us, too.

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It allows us to actually
move them back and forth

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between their night quarters,

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and, when they're on exhibit
during the day, in the Rainforest.

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Another example of their training program
is nail trimming or clippings.

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That's a routine part of their care

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and makes veterinary exams
a little easier.

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Other programs include some fun,

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and with macaws it's usually
related to chewing and food.

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They're natural chewers,

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they forage all day long in the forests
looking for fruits and seeds and nuts.

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So we give them browse
that we cut out of the Rainforest.

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I also love giving them puzzle toys,

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so I actually hide parts of their food,
or treats like nuts,

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in items that they have to manipulate

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and try to figure out
how to get them out of.

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That's really good stimulation for them.

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♪ (music) ♪

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It's really fantastic.

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Having to problem solve,
to make sure that the animals in your care

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are truly receiving
the highest quality care

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is really exciting,

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and then to also be able to turn around
and share that with our guests,

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to really let these
ambassador animals shine through

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to educate and inspire everybody.

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It really reinforces the idea that,
as living organisms, we're all connected,

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we have so much in common,
and we're really not that different.

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We all care about
where we're going to get our food,

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do we have shelter,
all those important things.

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It's really not different
for all of these creatures, too.

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Watching that every day
kind of reestablishes that connection,

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for me, to the rest of the living world.

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♪ (music) ♪